Diagonal Diary: Pat’s podium, Audrey’s laundry, and Ralf’s Racing Pride
Mon 15 July: Three cheers for Patrick Heuzenroeder! Our client – the 18-year-old Australian racing driver competing in the GB3 Championship – is celebrating this morning after a stellar weekend at Circuit Zandvoort, Netherlands. After announcing a collaboration with Hard Rock Cocktails and unveiling a striking new livery on Friday, ‘The Racing Kelpie’ made it four top-five finishes in his last five races, culminating in his first podium of the year in the third and final race of the weekend on Sunday. Pat is 10th in the GB3
Championship standings with three rounds remaining, starting at Silverstone in a fortnight (27-28 July).
There is an afternoon meeting with our client EventR – the app designed by a team of software developers led by the former Formula 1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer to simplify team travel – to finalise their content plan for the Olympics. The Games is one of many high-profile sporting events whose itineraries users can embed into their own personalised travel schedules. More on EventR and the Olympics next week.
Tue 16 July: First meeting of the day is with our client Asetek SimSports – the manufacturer of sim-racing hardware based in Denmark. Top of the agenda are Gamescom – Europe’s leading trade fair for the gaming industry – in Cologne, Germany, on 21-25 August 2024, and a new LinkedIn article by CEO and Founder André Eriksen. More on both of those soon.
A new Motor Sport column by our MD Matt Bishop is published today. This week, The Bish recounts the life
of Prince ‘B Bira’ – the Thai royal who was an accomplished racer, an aviator, an Olympian, and a gifted artist.
A founder ambassador of Racing Pride, Matt is also quoted in a think-piece published in the Guardian today about Ralf Schumacher after the former Formula 1 driver came out as being in a same-sex relationship.
Also out today is a special Autosport podcast episode with Guenther Steiner – the former F1 team principal who is a brand ambassador for our client Buffalo Trace. Guenther sat down with James Allen at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in London to discuss his life outside of F1 Team Principal role, his Drive to Survive fanbase and, of course, being ‘perfectly untamed’ just like his favourite bourbon.
During all of the activities on Tuesday, the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) announced an exciting development. The BTCC is extending an invitation for two, two-car teams to join the grid for the 2025 season. This move is strategically aligned with the upcoming 2027 rule changes, which will evolve current regulations to facilitate easier entry for new teams.
Wed 17 July: A visit to our London offices from Pat Heuzenroeder fresh from his successful weekend in the Netherlands. Pat receives media training from Diagonal MD Matt Bishop before donning his race suit – freshly laundered by his sister, Audrey, who is also in the office today – for a range of filming activities. You’ll be able to watch all that content on Pat’s social media channels soon.
Thu 18 July: An interview with Matt Bishop about the coming out of Ralf Schumacher is published today by the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. ‘The fact that Ralf Schumacher has come out,’ says The Bish, ‘is a seismic, positive earthquake in the world of motorsport.’
Elsewhere, it’s a busy day of media outreach on behalf of our client Asetek SimSports.
Fri 19 July: Another exciting announcement in one week for the BTCC as it announces today that LIQUI MOLY, the renowned German motor oil and additive manufacturer, will be joining as the ‘Official Oil and Lubricants Partner’. This extensive three-and-a-half-year partnership begins immediately, encompassing the remainder of the 2024 season and continuing through the next three BTCC seasons.
The hottest day of the year so far brings with it some sizzling (sorry, we couldn’t resist that one!) new content from Pat Heuzenroeder as our behind-the-scenes video from his Zandvoort race weekend goes live across his social channels. Watch and subscribe now to follow Pat’s progress.
We have a follow-up meeting with a potential client in the afternoon and we hope to bring you news of that in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, have a great weekend and enjoy the sunshine!